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- Summary: The latest full-length release from Canadian artist Ora Cogan was produced with David Parry.
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- Record Label: Sacred Bones
- Genre(s): Alternative, Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Folk
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 7
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Mixed: 0 out of 7
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Negative: 0 out of 7
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UncutMar 13, 2026She alternates between fighting the current and giving in. That approach, coupled with vocals balancing despair and determination, lends "The Smoke", with its cathedral synths, and especially "Division", with its narcotised krautrock drumbeat, an unsettling energy that's both treacherous and cathartic. [Mar 2026, p.29]
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Mar 13, 2026She blends traditional folk with experimental elements and psychedelic inflections so deftly that it is impossible to imagine it to be the product of anything other than years of dedicatedly honing her craft; the ten songs on Hard Hearted Woman might be the most potently distilled version of it yet.
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Mar 23, 2026Varied yet elegantly stitched together, Hard Hearted Woman shows the many sides of Cogan, whose story is as resilient as the subjects she depicts.
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Mar 16, 2026No single instrument dominates, nor do they act as strict counterpoints to one another. Sounds from opposite ends of the spectrum—felted resonances and sharp twangs—move in the same direction, drifting in parallel. While she rides these contrasts, Cogan sings with a smoky steadiness.
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Mar 13, 2026Her haziest and trippiest yet, involving well over a dozen guests, including on synthesizer, organs, and electric guitar.
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Mar 13, 2026There is a move towards the former, in which ominous synths interweave with a fuller and harder rhythm section, perhaps in reference to the record’s title. Although this sonic development works and Cogan should be applauded for the change, the LP is bereft of her usual folksy charm.
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Mar 24, 2026Her songs look straight into the abyss and still reach out for colour. That choice, made again and again across the album, gives it a quiet power, one as a listener you have to be willing to absorb to feel fully.